Dark Dragon
by Drakena the Destroyer
Summary: Rated for violence, blood, and swearing. Spyro and Hunter go after my fan villian in the Forgotten Worlds. Sorry if I took so long updating!
1. Prelude

Title:** Dark Dragon **

Genre: Horror/Action/Adventure

Rating: PG-13 for blood, violence, and swearing

Summary: Hunter and Spyro chase an evil dragon in the Forgotten Worlds.

Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro or his friends, they belong to Universal Studios.  I do own a character that will be introduced here, but you'll learn the name soon.

Author's Note: I'm into scary and violent stuff, so this fic will contain violence.  Since I'm a Spyro fan and a major Lord of the Rings fan, I might put a Tolkien twist in this story.  Those who don't like this don't need to read this, that is all.

**Prelude**

     Long ago in the Dragon Kingdom, one dragon took hold of a Dark Talisman.  This dragon suddenly committed crimes like theft and murder.  Outraged, the Dragon Council banished him from the Kingdom.  

     For years, the dragon lived in a cave as the Talisman darkened his soul.  He swam in the cold, underground lakes, catching fish to eat.  He would also eat any animal that wandered into his lair.  The Sun and Moon, he no longer saw.  The only one he talked to was himself.  He forgot to breathe fire, his large wings hardly had any webbing left, his claws were long and filthy, his eyes became used to the darkness, and his bloodstained teeth gave him the name Bloodfang.

     Bloodfang kept his Talisman close to him, until he dropped it while he was walking through his cave.  His Talisman was not lost, but fell into the hands of a normal dragon who was adventuring.  That dragon was Gildas of the Artisans.

     When Bloodfang saw Gildas wandering around aimlessly, he became curious.  He swam up onto the dark shore of the lake where he met Gildas.  Frightened, Gildas confronted Bloodfang by asking some questions.  Bloodfang was not even interested in helping Gildas, he wanted the intruder destroyed.  As he went back to his den to find his Talisman, he could not find it.  Angry, Bloodfang knew that Gildas had it.

     "Thief!" Bloodfang screeched.  He chased after Gildas through the cave.  Using the Talisman, Gildas escaped.

     "We hates it!  Hates it!  Forever!" Bloodfang cursed.

     After Gildas' escape, Bloodfang found the courage to leave his lair and search for the Talisman.  He ran in the wilderness for years, unknown to all except himself.  While he ran through the realm called the Forgotten Worlds, he made a friendly union with the Sorceress, and he swore an oath to serve her secretly.

     It was not until sixty years later, that Bloodfang cracked.  It happened when Spyro, a relative of Gildas, defeated the Sorceress.  This drove Bloodfang into deeper rage, and he promised himself to kill the young dragon one day.

-Desert Ruins, Midnight Mountain, Forgotten Worlds-

     The evening was dark, the ooze pits boiled, the stars glittered in the sky.  One young man was sitting outside of the Stone Gollem, smoking a cigarette.

     "It's getting late," he said out loud to himself.  "I better get home." He tossed what was left of his cigarette onto the sand and went into the tomb.

     Inside the Stone Gollem, was all dark, very few torches were lighted, but the tomb was still a passage for people.  The young man walked into the dark halls, when he was about to climb the first ladder, he heard a hissing noise.

     "Who's there?" he asked.  He looked around, still nothing.  He lit up his lighter.  "I'm warning you, I have a lighter that could burn you!"

     The hissing and growling came closer, until the young man could feel and smell hot breath on the back of his neck.  He turned around slowly to meet a pair of eerie yellow eyes.

     The young man screamed, then something sharp slashed at his neck.  He was slammed into one wall of the tomb.  Lying on the ground, his head felt numb and blood flowed down his neck.  He looked up to see a large, twisted shadow towering over him.  The yellow eyes were glowing like fireballs.

     "Piss off," the young man muttered.  The shadow leaped on him, teared at him.  Trying to escape, the young man screamed, until the shadow finished him. 

End Note: I know that was short, but that was only the prelude.  It didn't sound so scary there, but later chapters will get scary.  Yes, the prelude does sound like the Hobbit (c) J.R.R. Tolkien, but Bloodfang's personality is based on Gollum.


	2. Disturbing News

**Dark Dragon**

**Chapter One: Disturbing News**

SPYRO

     I yawned as I awoken from my night slumber.  After I rubbed my weary eyes, I could see rays of mourning sun through my window.  I removed the sheets from myself and swung my legs over the side of the mattress.  To wake up a little more, I stretched my arms, legs and tail to get my muscles going.

     "Spyro," my Uncle Gildas' voice called, "are you awake boy?"  It was common for young dragons my age to be called boys, I was only fifteen and that made me a boy to dragons.

     "Yes, Uncle," I replied.  I walked out of my room into the kitchen where my uncle slaved over a hot stove.  He hummed and his tail wagged from side to side.

     "Good mourning, lad," he greeted.  "I'm roasting up some nice sausages and bacon for breakfast!"

     I nodded, usually my life goes like this.  There was always an adventure around the corner for me, but that only came on rare occasions.  My life with Gildas started when I was only five.  Gildas is my father's oldest cousin, but when both my mother and father were killed in a flight accident, Gildas was the one who took me in.  He was nice to me, and I decided to call him 'Uncle'.

     After taking my seat at the breakfast table, a plate covered in three sausages, three strips of bacon, and a chunk of bread was placed in front of me.  Drooling at the sight of my meal, I munched down.  Gildas soon joined me as he gobbled down his own.  On my last bite, I heard knocking on the door.  

     "I'll get it," I said.  I stood up and opened the door at the front of the dragon hill I lived in.  Standing... err... hovering outside was a Faery with brown hair in a yellow dress.

     "Hi, Zoë," I said, smiling, to her.  "What brings you here to the Dragon Kingdom?"  

     Zoë didn't smile.  "Spyro, I just brought a message from Hunter.  He wants you to meet him in the Forgotten Worlds, there is a crisis that you could help solve."

     "Crisis?  Come on in and explain."  I lead her inside and I took my seat back at the table.

     "Is this your Faery friend from Avalar, Spyro?" Gildas asked.

     "Yes," I answered.  Zoë stood on the table and cleared her throat to catch our attention.

     "Now that I have your attentions," she said, "I must explain what is going on in the Forgotten Worlds.  Yesterday, Hunter and the Patrol Rangers found the remains of a civilian that was freshly killed in Desert Ruins.  There was no sign of the murderer, but the sight was horrible!"

     "How horrible?" I asked.

     "Please don't get grossed out if I told you."  She breathed in deeply.  "The civilian was torn apart from limb from limb.  Blood was splattered all over the place!  Whoever or whatever did that is still out there, destroying innocent people!"  She stopped, her face full of worry.

     "Calm down, Zoë."  I gently held her tiny hand between my thumb and index finger.  "I will see what I can do to help."

     "It sounds dangerous, Spyro," Gildas said in a concerned tone.  "I don't want to fear for your life."

     "I'll be with Hunter.  Besides, I've taken on Gnasty, Ripto and that fat Sorceress.  How dangerous could this be?"

     "Were you not listening to the Faery?  Whatever you'll be facing in the Forgotten Worlds could rip you to shreds!  I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

     "Uncle, I am old enough to take care of myself.  I have Hunter to help me in battle and Sparx can keep an eye on me.  If Zoë says that I can help, then I will help."

     Gildas sighed, "It seems I can not always protect you.  Do what you can to help your friends, but please come back in one piece."

     "I will."

     "Then lets hurry to the Forgotten Worlds," said Zoë.

HUNTER

     I stood in the Sunrise Spring Home, right in the place where Spyro and I landed when we first came to the Forgotten Worlds.  What the hell was taking Spyro so long?  I was getting tired of waiting, Spyro should at least tell me, or send Zoë to tell me, that he did not want to help.  In a moment or so, a small dragon fell from the umbra on top of me.  I was knocked off my feet onto the ground.

     "Watch where you're landing!" I grunted.  I got back up on my feet to see Spyro standing on all fours in front of me.  Sparx the dragonfly hovered above Spyro's head. 

     "I guess that you do want to help," I said, brushing the dust off my Ranger uniform.

     "Yeah," Spyro agreed.  "What the hell is with the cloak, tunic and sword?"

     "It's my uniform and main weapon!  All of the Patrol Rangers have them.  Bianca's father made me the chief."

     "Okay."  Spyro cleared his throat.  "Zoë told me that a civilian was murdered.  She was really worried, so I got Sparx and came down here as quick as I could."

     "It's a good thing you're here, I knew you were the type of dragon who was up for helping.  I must warn you, the Patrol mission to catch the murderer could get ugly."

     "Please, I've faced ugly before.  Remember the Sorceress?"

     "That's nothing like the remains of the civilian the Rangers found.  When I investigated yesterday, I nearly hurled.  There was guts, blood and dismembered limbs all over the tomb in Desert Ruins!"

     "Zoë explained that to me already."

     "Right.  Come on, we better get to Bianca's house in Midnight Mountain to discuss some serious matters."  I walked over to the small lake where the port was.  Spyro walked beside me as Sparx grabbed the gems lying around.

     "What else do we have to do?" Spyro asked.

     "We just have to track this murderer down." I replied.  We stopped at the edge of the lake.  The port was across from us, I leapt over the water and I was at the entrance to where the air craft was kept.  Spyro glided across with Sparx trailing behind.  They followed me inside where we met the pilot.

     "Where to?" the pilot asked.

     "Midnight Mountain," I answered.


	3. Mountain of Mystery

Chapter 2: Mountain of Mystery

**SPYRO**

     I buckled my seat belt in the helicopter as Hunter did the same with his.  Sparx perched on my shoulder and stayed silent.  The pilot activated the air craft and I felt the vehicle lift off the ground.  I peeked outside to see all the details on the land shrink below as the helicopter got higher.  The craft moved forward in the direction to Midnight Mountain.  After a few minutes in the air, I looked back to Hunter fingering the white star brooch on his cloak.

     "What will we discuss up in Midnight Mountain?" I asked.

     Hunter stopped fingering his brooch and faced me.  "We'll only discuss the mission with Bianca's father," he answered.

     "Oh, I thought you were going to Bianca's house just to get mushy-gushy with her before the mission."

     Hunter laughed, "You thought I was planning to do _that_?  I don't always get romantic with Bianca in the Forgotten Worlds, I have a job as a Patrol Ranger."

     "Of course."  I thought more on the mission ahead, and of the place where the attack happened.  "Hey Hunter, are we going to investigate the crime scene?"

     "Yes."

     I felt my stomach twist into knots, "Will there be any of the victim's remains to look at?"

     Hunter's left brow crocked up.  "No, my men had the remains cleared out of the area.  The Professor is examining them to find some information."

     "Right."  I scratched one of my forearms.  "Besides us, who else will be tracking down this murdering thing?"

     "Perhaps Agent 9 and Sgt. Byrd, it's better to have more than one team to cover the Forgotten Worlds."

     "I see."  I looked back out of the window to see that Midnight Mountain was no so far away.  The Mountain stood tall in a shade of purple my scales were, even though the Sorceress was gone, Midnight Mountain still appeared menacing yet marvellous.

AGENT 9 

     The last time I was here in the Haunted Tomb, I suffered the Snake Tail curse because of a joke I played on those crazy, Tomb Keeper dogs.  The reason why I was here in this damn, dark place was that I heard reports of some beast crawling through the Tomb.  My thought was that the reports on a mysterious beast had to be connected to the murdering of a civilian.  

     As I walked down the dark passage that had little torch light, I held a firm grip on my blaster that I charged to stung.  If I ran into this _beast_, my blaster could at least knock it out for a week.  Suddenly, I heard breathing and footsteps in the shadows.

     "Who's there?" I demanded, pointing my blaster to where the noise was coming from.

     "Only Tara the Tomb Raider," the reply came.  Tara walked out of the shadows and I set down my blaster.  "I was just looking for some artefacts as long as the dogs didn't mind.  So what brings you to the Tomb?"

     I relaxed knowing that a mouse version of Angelina Jolie was just wandering around in the dark.  "I'm here to do some investigating.  I've heard reports that a _beast_ was sneaking around here, so I'm going to learn what's going on."

     "Does this have something to do with the attack on the civilian?"

     "I think it does.  Right now, I don't see any _beast_ here, but I'll be ready to blast it when I do find it."

     "Sounds very interesting, let me help you with the search.  I could do something if we run into trouble."  She tapped one of the pistols strapped to her thighs.

     "I don't see a problem there.  Speaking of helping, have you heard or seen anything while you were looking for artefacts?"

     She scratched her chin.  "Hmmm... I do recall hearing some hissing sounds from one of the tunnels.  I just thought it was a snake, but snakes don't make scraping foot steps."

     I felt a chill shoot up my spine.  "Scraping foot steps?" I asked.

     "Yes," she nodded.  "I decided not to bother with it, so I just continued with my treasure hunt."

     "Can you show me where you heard these noises?"

     "Sure, follow me."  She turned back to where she was walking from, I grabbed a torch and I followed close behind her.  I bit my lip, I was nervous about what I was in for.

HUNTER 

     The helicopter landed through the open roof of the port.  Spyro and I unbuckled our seatbelts and stretched our legs.

     "That would be 30 gems," the pilot said.

     "Of course," I handed the gems to him.  Spyro was standing at the entrance to the port waiting for me.  I jumped out of the helicopter and caught up with Spyro.  

     "So what else do we have to do here besides discussing the mission and investigating?" he asked.

     "We just have to travel around the Forgotten Worlds on foot to find the attacker.  There are others who can help us out while we're travelling."  I looked at his face to see that he was still not satisfied.

     Spyro and I continued across the green ground and bridges over the lava until we found the gates to the Sorceress' old castle.  The castle now belonged to Bianca and her family, the place stopped looking spooky after the Sorceress had her fat ass roasted by Spyro.  Bianca's family did a great job in making the castle beautiful, the wooden gates were painted white, each pillar on the sides of the gate had a stone eagle statue perched on top, the castle itself was small and made of creamy stone. 

     I grabbed an iron ring door knocker on the gate and knocked three times.

     "I'm coming!" the guard shouted.  "Hold on!"  The small window in the gate slid open, a face of a male Charm faery (a faery from Charmed Ridge) was peeking through.  "Oh... hello Hunter, my lord has been expecting you!"  He looked at Spyro.  "I'll get the gate open so you and Spyro can come in."

     "Thank you, Garith," I said.  The left of the gate creaked open, Spyro and I were permitted to go through.  We walked on a white brick path in the courtyard that lead to the castle front door.  Hedges were neatly set in front of the castle.

     "Hey Hunter, Spyro!" I heard Bianca's voice call to us.  She stood in front of the castle door, wearing a long, lavender gown.

     "Hi Bianca," I said to her.  "Have you been waiting long?"  Spyro stood by my side, not saying anything.

     "Not really," Bianca answered.  "Come on then, my father awaits you."  She lead us inside and down the long corridor to the council chambers.

     "What is Bianca's father like?" Spyro asked.

     I looked down at him.  "He's a nice guy, he does like you because you did impress him."

     "Impress him?"

     "He only likes kind and honourable warriors.  I helped him move into the castle, that's how I became chief of the Patrol Rangers.  He is impressed on how you defeated the Sorceress."

     "Really?  I can't wait to meet him myself."

AGENT 9 

     Tara held the torch in front of the unlighted passage where she heard the sounds.  I peered into the darkness, nothing was there.

     "Are you sure that you heard something?" I asked.

     "I have no doubt," she answered.  "The hissing and scratching came from there."

     "Maybe we should go down there," I suggested.  "We could find something."

     "That's a plan.  When we find that beast, I'll shoot its frigging brains out if we have any trouble."  She took out one of her pistols and she walked down the passage with the torch in front of her. 

     I followed close behind her.  I shivered all over, this was all too scary for me.  The dark always gave me the creeps.   When I'm usually in the Haunted Tomb, I always see the usual dogs in their damn hats, and stupid critters like cobras and scorpions.  A killer beast was the last thing I wanted to find in a dark place.  

     Biting my lower lip, I held Mr. Laser Blaster in a tight grip that I nearly pulled the trigger.  I kept my eye on Tara and the torch light,  I would really hate to get lost where a beast could eat me.

     "Agent 9," Tara's whispers interrupted my thoughts, "I hear something.  Listen, it's coming from there."  She pointed to where the light could not touch.

     I did what she said and listened carefully.  At first, I could only hear my own breath, but then I heard hisses and growls.  I peered at the darkness, staring back at me were two glowing yellow eyes.

     "Holly crap," I muttered under my breath.  Tara aimed her pistol towards the yellow eyes.

     From where the eyes were, I heard an ice cold voice that hissed.  "What are they, my preciouss?" 

End Note: Sorry if I took too long to update.  I did complete the website version but I was lazy about the FF.Net version.  Oh yeah, those who are confused about the Tolkien twist, there is a Lord of the Rings movie that is still in theaters, but I have to wait until November for the DVD!  Rats!


	4. An Escape and Meeting

Chapter 3: An Escape and Meeting

**AGENT 9**

     I bit my lower lip, my finger was on the trigger to my blaster.  The beast I was looking for was staring right back at Tara and I.  Tara stayed calm as she held her pistol firmly.

     "What... err... who are you?" I asked, trying not to whimper at the yellow beast eyes staring back at me.

     "They sspeak, my preciouss," the beast in the dark said.

     "You're supposed to answer!" Tara snapped.  She pointed her pistol right between the yellow eyes.

     "Thosse nassty things want to hurt uss.  We hatess things that try to hurt uss!"

     "We?  Us?" I muttered.  "Don't tell me that there is another one of you."  The eyes staring at me blinked, I shivered as they did.

     "My preciouss iss losst!  Losst!"

     "This is going nowhere," Tara muttered into my ear.  She turned her attention back onto the beast.  "Alright, who are you, what are you doing, and why are you here?  Answer the questions and come quietly!"

     "They speak in riddless," the beast said.  "Do they like riddless?"

     "Riddles?" said Tara.  "I know that the Dogs use riddles to protect the Tomb.  Yes, we like riddles."  She still aimed at the beast in the dark but she seemed interested in the riddles.

     "What's with all these riddles and stuff?" I asked.

     "When preciouss assks," the beast said, "and if they don't answer, we eatss them."

     "Right," said Tara, "go on."

     "When they ask and if we do not answer, we shall come quietly."

     "Nice deal," I murmured under my breath.

     "We shall ask the firsst riddle," the beast hissed.  "Hard as stone, taller than trees, stands still, can not grow.  Can they guess the answer?"

     I scratched my chin, "What is hard as stone, taller than trees, stands still and can not grow?"

     "I think I know what it is," said Tara.  "It could be either a mountain or a tower."

     "Tower iss the ansswer!" the beast hissed.  "Now they shall assk."

     "Who will ask first?" I whispered, trying to avoid the beast's horrible stare.

     "I will," Tara replied.  "All what you do are dirty jokes."

     She faced the beast, her index finger stroking the trigger of her pistol.  "I have a riddle: I am a face, I have one gold eye and one silver eye, one of my cheeks is pale and the other is dark with silver freckles, I will show one side and switch to the next.  What am I?"

     The yellow eyes blinked twice, "Let us think...  Yess, yess!  It iss the ssky!  We have not sseen the ssky in agess!"

     "Damn it!" Tara cursed under her breath.

     "It iss our turn," said the beast.  "It is heavy, but makes you light, it is cold, it is wet, it is dry, what is it?"

     "I think it's water," I said.  

     "Water iss the ansswer!"

     "My turn to ask," I said.  "What is big, grey, and surrounded by flies?"

     "Iss it a dead animal?" the beast asked.

     "Nope, you're cold."

     Tara grinned at the little trick I was using, she faced the beast again.  "If you can't guess, you lose and you have to come with us."

     The beast hissed, "Iss it fliess on a rock?"

     "That is incorrect," I replied.  The riddle I used was a retarded joke, the original answer was a dead elephant, but I changed the answer to a dirty sock.

     "Then what wass it?" the beast asked impatiently.

     "Sorry," said Tara, "I'm afraid that my friend won't give away that part.  Now come with us."

     "They cheated!  They cheatss us, my precious!"

     "The answer was a dirty sock," I said quietly.  I felt the beast's cold stare undressing me, I bit my lip and held up my blaster.  "Come with us slowly, nothing funny or we'll shoot."

     "My precious doess not want to go with those nassty, little cheaterss!"  The beast made a rumbling growl.

     The sound of a beast growling was a bad sound.  Taking action, I checked to see if my blaster was on stun.  Tara had her pistol in one hand and the torch in the other.  I aimed my blaster at the yellow eyes, "Tara, stand clear!"

     Tara backed a couple of steps and stood beside me, holding the torch outward to keep the beast away.  I pulled the trigger and a red beam of light struck between the yellow eyes.

     The beast roared loud enough to wake the dead.  My blaster only angered it.

     "Agent 9, get down!" Tara shouted.  I crouched down as Tara shot a few bullets at the beast.  After five shots, there was silence, then...

     "GRRRRRERERERERERER!!!"

     "Run!" I heard Tara scream.  I jumped to my feet, then Tara gabbed my arm and half way dragged me out of the passage.

     "What's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep up with Tara on the run.  "Why aren't we fighting the beast?"

     "Because," she replied, still looking ahead, "I don't think our ordinary weapons can deal with it!  We need more help!  Hurry, the portal out of here is to our right!  We will be able to escape!"

     I could see the glowing portal not far away.  As Tara and I got closer, I felt something sharp swipe across my back.  I turned around to see the yellow eyes and jaws full of sharp teeth.

     "Look out!" Tara yelled.  The torch came flying over my head and it hit the beast.

     "We hatess light!" the beast hissed with anger.  Tara grabbed my arm again and dragged me through the portal.

     In the Midnight Mountain home world, I stood in front of the Haunted Tomb portal, thinking on how lucky I was to escape a painful death.  The mysterious beast was more dangerous than I thought.

     "Agent 9," said Tara from behind me, "you're bleeding."

     The pain started growing in my back.  "The beast must of scratched me good, damn it hurts!"

     "Come on, Charian's palace isn't far.  You can get patched up and we can tell everyone what happened."

Spyro 

     Hunter and I followed Bianca down the halls of the castle.  The walls were decorated by portraits and paintings of landscapes.  Faeries in blue and grey uniforms stood at the entrances to all the rooms.  At the end of the hall, two doors made of silver vines with a small tree on either side.  A female faerie in a uniform every other faerie wore, was standing on a branch of the left tree.  I could tell that she was an Ice faerie by her silver hair, light blue skin and dark blue wings. 

     "Lady Bianca," she said when she saw us approaching.  "Your father and the Professor are waiting inside.  They have been expecting Chief Hunter to arrive."  She looked at me and Sparx.  "Oh... pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself to the dragon!  My name is Heloth from Frozen Altars, it is an honour to meet the dragon who has freed us from the Sorceress!"

     "Hi," I said, "just call me Spyro."

     Bianca cleared her throat, "Heloth, can we go inside now?"

     "Yes!  Of course!"  Heloth pointed her wand at the door lock.  The doors swung open and Bianca lead Hunter and I inside a large room.  There were no walls to the room, the ceiling was supported by stone pillars, in the centre of the room was a round wooden table in a circle of chairs.  I could see the Professor standing with a rabbit man wearing a night sky coloured robe and silver circlet.

     "Spyro," the Professor spoke in an excited voice, "you decided to come!"

     "Yes he has," Hunter spoke.  He faced the rabbit man who was Bianca's father, "Lord Charian, Spyro and I are here and at your service."  He bowed to Bianca's father.

     "At your service," I said bowing with Hunter.  I stood up on my hind legs to see Charian smiling at me.

     "Feel welcome to take a seat, Spyro," he said to me.  "The Professor and I have things to discuss with you and Hunter."

     I took my seat beside Hunter, Bianca sat between him and her father.  Sparx sat himself down on the table in front of me.

     "What's so important to tell us?" Hunter asked.

     "Well, Hunter," the Professor replied, "I was studying the victim's remains in my laboratory, and I found something that can help us.  There were teeth and claw marks in the flesh, the teeth and claws that made them belong to a dragon."

     "A dragon!?  That's impossible, no dragon I know would kill that brutally!" 

     "I have to agree with Hunter," I said.  "None of my fellow dragons would do such a thing, not even I."

     "I know, Spyro," said the Professor.  "The teeth and claw marks were dragon made, but the dragon that made the attack had to be mutated because the damage was too advanced to be made by a normal dragon."

     "How would a dragon be mutated?" Bianca asked.

     "That, dear daughter," said Charian, "would be Dark Arts of magic.  In an old book about dragons, there is information on how Dark Arts can darken a dragon's mind, body, and soul."

     I gulped, "So if I ever used Dark Arts, my soul, body and mind will be mutated?"

     Charian nodded.  "Yes, it could happen."

     "What other events have occurred lately since the attack? Hunter asked.

     "There has been sightings of a beast in the Haunted Tomb," the Professor answered.  "I've sent Agent 9 there to investigate.  After Agent 9 was sent to the Tomb, I examined the victim's remains."

     "Will Hunter and I go there instead of Desert Ruins?" I asked.

     "There will be no need for you to investigate the attack scene," said Charian.  "Sgt. Byrd has that covered."

     "Then what will Hunter and I do?"

     "You will only track this dark dragon down.  Residents of the Forgotten Worlds will share information on where the dragon was lately seen.  Faeries and other Patrol Rangers will help you on your mission."

     "I have my men protecting every town in the Forgotten Worlds," said Hunter.  "If they see a dark dragon, they will be sure to..."  The male faerie who was at the gates interrupted as he flew into the room from the open walls.

     He stood on the table to catch his breath.  "My Lord," he said to Charian, "Agent 9 has returned from the Haunted Tomb with Tara the Tomb Raider!  He said that he encountered the attacker and he escaped with a wound and he now awaits at the doors."

     I froze, "Agent 9 was wounded?"

     "Yes, a horrible scratch across his back."

     Charian stood up, "Thank you Garith, you may proceed with your duty."  Garith bowed and left.  "Bianca," Charian continued, "go fetch the medic.  Professor, Hunter, Spyro, I think we should see what Agent 9 has to tell us."  I, with everyone else, stood up and started walking back into the hallway.

     "I can't believe that Agent 9 survived," I murmured to Sparx.  "That mysterious dragon could have ripped him to shreds."

     "That is why your uncle dislikes the idea about you chasing a mad killer," said Sparx.

     "You're right about that..."  I trailed off as thoughts poured into my head.  I thought about what Agent 9 had seen, what I was in for, and how Gildas would react if something horrible happened.****


	5. Messages and Sewers

Dark Dragon

**Chapter 4: Messages and Sewers**

ZOË 

     After I brought the message to Spyro for his help, I went to the Forgotten Worlds at the same time he did.  Spyro went with Hunter, but I went into a large forest region of the Forgotten Worlds.  This region could not be entered by portal because it was only on the boarders of the Sunrise Spring realm.  My business in the Forgotten Forest (that's what Dragons and Faeries called it) was to bring a message to the Forest Faeries after bringing one to Spyro.

     I fluttered through the branches of the large trees, using my lightning wand as a light.  The Sun light was hard to see through the thick trees.  My search for the Forest Faeries was not going well, for they can hide in trees very well so they can sneak up on intruders.

     "Yoo-hoo!" I called out.  The only answer I got was the chirping of birds.  "Is anyone here?"

     "Yes," answered a voice.  Jumping down from a high branch and hovering in front of me was a male Faerie.  He was a Forest Faerie, I could tell by his green wings, his black hair that reached the middle of his back, and the white and grey uniform he wore.  On his silver belt was a dagger, the green and silver leaf brooch on his grey tunic signified his high rank as a commander.

     "Hi there," I said.  "I have a message to tell the captain of the Forest Faerie's from Lord Charian."

     "I'm captain of the Forest Faeries, my name is Carin.  What message does Lord Charian send to me?"

     I stopped hovering and stood on a branch, Carin did the same.  "What you need to know," I started, "is that strange attacks have happened.  Your people need to be on alert for anything strange.  Hunter, chief of the Patrol, is going to get on the case, but your aid is needed."

     "What can the Forest Faeries do?"

     "First, if you and your men see anything strange, report it to Hunter and he'll check it out.  Second, if Hunter is in trouble, you might have to help him."

     "That seems simple enough.  I must ask, what has been causing the strange attacks?"

     I bit my lip, but I knew that the Faerie captain had to know what was going on.  "There is some vicious beast running on the loose in the Forgotten Worlds.  The first attack happened in Desert Ruins, now every person is afraid to leave their homes."

     Carin nodded.  "I see.  My men shall be on watch, for the Forest Village shall need protection as well.  If I see anything, I'll have it reported to Hunter."

     "Thank you for helping," I said.  "I'll tell Lord Charian that."

SPYRO 

     Hunter, Charian, the Professor and I met up with Agent 9 and Tara in the hallway from the entrance.  

     "Agent 9, what happened?" asked Hunter.

     "Tara and I were in the Haunted Tomb and we ran into that... _thing_!" said Agent 9.  "We made it out alive, but I got a scratch across the back!"

     "Bianca has gone to find a medic," said Charian.

     "Let me heal that," buzzed Sparx.  He flew over to Agent 9, and released some of his energy out.  "Is that better?"

     "Yeah," said Agent 9, "thanks!"

     "Now that Agent 9 is healed," said Charian, "he and Tara can tell us in full detail of their encounter with this beast."

     We all head back to the meeting room.  Agent 9 and Tara told us everything, about how they ran into each other, the glowing eyes in the shadow, the riddles, and their escape.

     "We did try weapons against it," said Tara, "but it didn't work."

     "Your weapons didn't work?" I asked.

     "That's right.  I shot it five times, but it still attacked."

     "Are you sure you shot it?" asked Hunter.

     "Of course I shot it!  The beast must have dodged some or it got hit in places where it didn't hurt!"

     "It was dark," said Agent 9.  "I shot the eyes, which were the only parts of the beast I saw, but I just angered it!"

     "Calm down now," said Charian.  "You both did what you had to do, and you are lucky to be alive.  It's time for Spyro and Hunter to start tracking this beast.  I'll have them set with equipment and they shall start in the Haunted Tomb.  The Professor will use his technology to assist you."

     "Yes," said the Professor, "I have some devices for you to use, Spyro.  I shall explain what they are, what situations they're for and how to use them."  He opened up a metal case and took out several objects.

     "What are those?" I asked.

     The Professor held up a small object that looked like a can.  "This is a gas grenade, you can use this to blind your enemy with the smoke or put it to sleep with the gas.  You just pull the pin and throw it."

     "Right.  What else would I need?"

     "You'll also need power up orbs," he said.  "I'll give you some to start off with, but if you're running out, just find the air raft Agent 9 and I will be piloting and I'll provide more."

     "We're going to need all the help we can get to complete this mission," said Hunter.  

     "That is why Zoë has gone to seek aid from the Forest Faeries," said Charian.  He looked at Tara, "Tara, you have done your share of help.  You may continue to your own business, but do report anything strange you see."

     "Yes sir," said Tara and she left.

     "Hunter and Spyro," Charian said to Hunter and I, "it's time to prepare yourselves and leave for the Haunted Tomb."

     "Come Spyro," said the Professor, "I shall have you equipped with everything you need."  He stood up and I followed.

     My stomach twisted in knots, a chill went up my spine, I did not think that this mission was not a good idea.  It was too late for that now, I decided to join Hunter in finding the killer beast, I could not turn my back.

HUNTER 

     I walked through the dark passages of the Haunted Tomb, Spyro followed beside me.  He was equipped with a tunic like mine, a dagger on his belt and a pouch carrying the gas grenades and power orbs.  I was armed with my sword, bow and quiver of arrows.  

     "I think the beast was last seen here," I said, holding up the torch.  "This is the area where Agent 9 and Tara were."

     "Hunter," said Spyro, "Agent 9 said that the beast chased him, so it could be anywhere in here."  Sparx flew around Spyro, buzzing several times.

     "We can still find the dark dragon using our sense of smell.  This is the place where Agent 9 and Tara ran found the beast, right?"

     "Right.  So that means..."

     "We follow the scent trail from here."  I sniffed the air, I could smell Agent 9 and Tara's scent, but a new scent.  It was different, which had to be the dark dragon.  "Do you smell that?"

     "Yeah, smells like a dragon scent, but I can't tell what kind of dragon."

     "It has to be the scent were looking, er, I mean smelling for.  We follow the scent to where the beast has been going to often."  I sniffed the air again, the scent was coming from the deeper part of the passage.  "We'll go this way, it's strong from over there."

     Spyro sniffed the air, "Yes, I can smell it."

     I walked into the darkness, Spyro was right behind me.  Our only light was the torch and Sparx's glow.  The scent trail was strong, then I could hear running water.  When I could see the shimmer of the water surface, I stopped, the trail had ended.

     "The trail has stopped here," I said.  "The beast must have gone into the sewers."

     "Sewers?" asked Spyro.  He stood beside me on all fours.

     "If I am correct, we are at a sewer entrance.  Every realm in the Forgotten Worlds has one, an excellent way to travel unnoticed for a killer beast that strikes in the dark.  From the examining the Professor has done, the beast is a dragon, and dragons can breathe under water."

     "Hunter, are you saying that I should go down there?"

     "Yeah, you can breathe under water and I can't, and you can fit through the entrance.  Before you go down into the sewer, you must listen carefully if you want to come out in one piece.  Take Sparx with you into the sewer, try to make your way to the sewer entrance in the Midnight Mountain Home realm.  Use the map for directions, if you get into trouble, use what weapons you have for a fight.  I might have to go in after you if it's a big emergency."

     "Got it."  He jumped into the water and swam to the dark hole.  "I'll meet you on the other side."  He disappeared into the darkness.

~To Be Continued.   


End file.
